A man who asked a group of strangers to kindly stop littering outside a Lakeview grocery store wound up being beaten and robbed by the crew instead on Thursday evening, police said. No one is in custody.
The victim, age 21, told police he saw four people littering near the Jewel-Osco store, 3630 North Southport, around 6 p.m. He asked them to stop. The group — three men and a woman — began arguing with the community-conscious fellow, said CPD spokesperson Kellie Bartoli.
That’s when a man in the group punched the victim in the face, causing him to fall to the ground. Bartoli said the other three litterbugs joined in, punching and kicking the victim as he lay on the ground. One of them took the guy’s phone, and they all ran away southbound on Southport.
An ambulance responded to the scene, but the victim declined medical attention.
Area Three detectives are investigating the case.
Yogurt store robbery
A man went behind the counter and robbed Yogurt Square, 4701 North Lincoln, on Thursday evening, according to police. The offender remains at large.
Police said the robber walked behind the store’s counter around 6:30 p.m., implied he had a weapon, and told an 18-year-old cashier that he didn’t want to shoot her. He then demanded money and took cash from the store register, a police spokesperson said.
Cops searched the area for the robber, but they came up empty-handed. He is described as a Black male between 25- and 30-years-old who wore jeans and a green jacket, the police spokesperson said.
Area Three detectives are also investigating this incident.